Holiday At Lake Evendim
by amy1oM
Summary: King Elessar's visit to Lake Evendim...
1. The King's Invitation

**Holiday at Lake Evendim**   
**By** Meldewen Ilce 

**Rating: **G   
**Spoilers:** Through 'The Return of the King' 

**Summary: **King Elessar's visit to Lake Evendim... 

**Disclaimers: **I don't own ANY of the characters from LOTR because they belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. I've made NO money off of this so I ask NOT to be sued for writing and publishing this on the web! 

~~*~~   
**In the Year 1436 of the Shire-Reckoning, King Elessar rides north, and dwells for a time by Lake Evendim...**

~~*~~   
'Daddy!' Elanor yelled from the front of Bag End. 'Come quick! There's a rider comin' up the Hill!' 

Sam who had been around towards the back of the smial attending to the garden, came around wiping his hands with a rag, giving his eldest child a puzzled look. By now several of Elanor's siblings, including Sam's oldest son Frodo were now standing at the gate watching as the stranger rode his way slowly up Bagshot Row. 

Judging by the hobbit-children following him, the stranger had definitely ridden through Hobbiton and just before he made it up the Hill, Sam turned to Elanor and Frodo. 

'See to it that those lads and lasses don't go near the horse if this stranger stops here as I suspect he will. Rosie, you do the same with your brothers and sisters.' he said. 'He has the look of a Ranger, he does.' 

"Aye, Daddy.' 

When Sam was sure his children would obey him, he moved to stand near the gate, allowing Elanor and Frodo to exit the yard so that they could see to the Hobbiton children. Rosie took the hands of her two brothers, Merry and Pippin even as she watched her younger siblings like a hawk. 

As the stranger finally halted his horse at the gate of Bag End, Sam opened the gate and stepped just outside of it as the stranger dismounted his horse. As he drew back his cloak and hood, Sam noted that this particular Man was not only as Ranger but he also wore the livery of the White City. 

The Ranger bowed, 'I am Elfstine, son of Brohir, I bear a message from King Elessar of Gondor for Master Samwise Gamgee of the Shire, the Mayor of Hobbiton.' 

Sam looked up the Man. 'I am Samwise Gamgee, Master Ranger.' 

Without any further delays, the Man drew out a sealed letter from the pouch on his belt, handing it to Sam. Then the young Ranger bowed again and quickly mounted his horse, starting his mount again quickly towards Tuckborough and Buckland to deliver his other messages. 

Sam's hands nearly trembled as he accepted the letter from the Ranger. After the Man was gone, Sam looked at the sealed letter in his hands, instantly the Great Seal of the King of Gondor. Without hesitation he broke the wax seal and opened the King's letter, noting that it was written both in Elvish and in the Common Speech. 

_Elessar Telcontar: Aragorn Arathornion Edhelharn, aran Gondor ar Hîr i Mbair Annui, anglennatha i Varanduiniant erin dolothen Ethuil, egor ben genediad Drannail erin Gwirith edwen. Ar e aníra- ennas suilannad mhellyn în phain: edregol e aníra tírad i Cherdir Perhael (i sennui Panthael estathar aen) Condir i Drann, ar Meril bess dîn; ar Elanor, Meril, Glorfinniel, ar Eirien sellath dîn; ar Iorhael, Gelir, Cordof, ar Baravorn, ionnath dîn. A Pherhael ar am Meril suilad uin aran o Minas Tirith nelchaenen uin Echuir___

_Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Strider, the Elfstone, King of Gondor and Lord of the Westlands, will approach the Bridge of Baranduin on the eighth day of Spring, or in the Shire-reckoning the second day of April. And he desires to greet there all his friends. In especial he desires to see Master Samwise (who ought to be called Fullwise), Mayor of the Shire, and Rose his wife; and Elanor, Rose, Goldilocks, and Daisy his daughters; and Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Hamfast, his sons.___

_To Samwise and Rose the King's greeting from Minas Tirith, the thirty-first day of the Stirring_

~~*~~   
**Author's Note:** I realize in the last chapter that I had a Ranger and a Man enter the Shire to deliver messages from the King after it was forbidden for Men to enter the Shire. I racked my brain trying to think of a way for Aragorn to have sent his messages without the use of a human Ranger to do. I finally decided on the use of Man in this part simply because I couldn't think of another way for the messages to arrive to their recipients short of having the King himself enter the Shire after he has made it law that no man should enter... 


	2. Family Interrruptions

Sam went inside Bag End after telling Elanor and Frodo to gather their younger siblings inside. He immediately sought out Rose, who was in the kitchen getting the last touches of afternoon tea finished, even as she attended to Primrose, their youngest child at the time. 

The toddler was busy playing with a small rag-doll in her playpen when Sam walked into the room, and immediately she looked up. As Sam neared Rose, Primrose climbed up onto her feet and began reaching out over the top of the playpen towards him whimpering softly for her daddy. 

'Why I was just about to call you inside,' Rose said upon seeing Sam. 'Tea's ready.' 

'Tea can wait a few moments,' Sam held out the letter towards her, 'Read this.' 

Rose wiped her hands, before taking the parchment from her husband. Her eyes quickly fell on the Elvish words, skimming the parchment until she saw words that were written in the Common Speech. 

As she read, Sam reached over into Primrose's playpen, picking her up and kissing her as he waited for Rose to finish reading. After a moment he heard a surprised intake of breath, and turning his attention from his daughter, he looked at his wife. 

'Oh my goodness!' Rose said. 'The King is coming here!' 

'Aye, m'love, and he wants to meet with us,' Sam said. 

Rose glanced at the letter again. 'He's coming on April Second. Why that's less than a month away, only a few weeks!' 

'Aye, it is. Do you think we could have everything ready by then to leave?' Sam asked. 

Rose's answer was cut off when the door of Bag End opened noisily, and in came the older children either carrying or pulling along their younger siblings inside. The room suddenly erupted into a frenzy of noise as Goldilocks and Hamfast, who were being carried in by Frodo, were engaged in some sort of squabble with each other. Before they could makes heads or tails of anything, Elanor came in followed by Merry and Pippin who were followed by finally Rose who carried little Daisy in her arms. 

'Give it back!' Goldilocks said to Hamfast. 

Hamfast had a tormenting smile as he hid her doll behind his back. 'No!' 

Frodo set the two down and immediately Goldilocks set about getting her doll from her younger brother. Running towards Pippin, Hamfast threw the doll in his direction and the older Gamgee boy took the doll and held it high above his head. At this point, Goldilocks went to her older brother, jumping up and down, crying as he dangled the doll just out of her reach. 

Little Primrose began to wail her head off as Goldilocks cried and yelled at her brothers as Pippin now joined his brothers' game of KEEP AWAY. 

'That's enough, Hamfast, Merry, and Pippin!' Sam said. The boys immediately halted, recognizing that particular stern tone of their father's voice. 'Give your sister back her doll and apologize.' 

Pippin handed Goldilocks the doll, who immediately buried her tear-stained face into the doll. 'I'm sorry, Goldie.' 

'Me too,' Hamfast and Merry said in unison. 

'Good,' said Sam, 'Now finish helpin' your mother lay down tea.' 

'Yes, sir,' the three boys said together, heading for the kitchen. 


End file.
